One person died on Wednesday in a serious crash involving more than 200 vehicles in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou, according to state media.
The rear-end collision occurred on a bridge shrouded in thick morning fog, causing several vehicles to collide, according to the state-owned Global Times.
Photos from the scene show the long multi-lane bridge, stretching across fields and the Yellow River, filled with vehicles stacked on top of each other. Cars, cargo trucks, trucks and other vehicles can be seen in the car crash.
In videos taken from the ground, the air is still thick with fog. One clip shows a truck sliding forward, crashing into several smaller cars, as sirens wail in the distance.
Many drivers and passengers have been trapped in their cars, according to The Global Times. Emergency workers and firefighters, including personnel from the traffic and health departments, attended the scene.
A witness told the Global Times that the accident lasted for several kilometers and that the humidity on the bridge made the road particularly slippery.
In some areas, visibility that morning was as low as 200 meters (about 656 feet), according to Reuters, citing the local weather agency. Several hours after the crash, police issued a warning for cars not to cross the bridge due to fog.
“In the winter the temperature is low and there is often heavy fog,” the traffic police wrote on their official Weibo account, China’s version of Twitter. He reminded drivers to slow down, use their lights and leave dangerous areas as quickly as possible, reports Edition.
The overpass connects Zhengzhou with Xinxiang city. Police closed the bridge during the rescue operation and traffic resumed that same afternoon.
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